In the business, finding someone who complements you may be the single biggest difference between success and failure.
One of the cautionary partnership tales, my personnel favorite of the stories in
"The Power of 2" (Wagner and Muller, 2009) is about the charmed company Disney. Disney in 1984 was looking for a new CEO, and no candidate was more impressive then Michael Eisner. He is portrayed as creative, quick thinker, impulsive and also well versed in business. However, there was another canidate that impressed the board but in a different way. Frank Wells - an astute business man, intelligent scholar, calm, collected, measured and focused. Disney couldn't pick 1, so they got the pair. Together Eisner/Wells would take Disney into something of a golden age. Movies classics: The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast and the Lion King were made. The disney amusement parks thrived, and merchandise was selling very well. All this time, the Eisner/Wells bond was incredibily strong and they made millions for themselves and Disney.
Everything changed in 1994. Wells was killed on impact in helicopter crash during a retreat. Eisner mourned the lost of his beloved partner, and rather then take on a new partner tried to forgo the Disney CEO path alone. Disaster was at every turn with Eisner at the helm. His impulses turned to something of a mania, and having no person to balance him in his decisions, the Disney franchise started to take severe financial hits. Wells was forgotten. Eventually Eisner's poor decisions and impulsive behavior had the Disney board questioning if he was ever responsbile for the Wells/Eisner success. Eisner was fired in 2004.
It's not that Eisner was a bad CEO. It's just that what he brought to the table was not enough by itself. The same might have been true for Wells, if the roles were reversed. Sometimes 1 person has the the power of 1 person. But take two people together who can form something greater then themselves, and you can have a whole new creation.
So what are the elements that make a good partnership.
Below are the 8 competencies needed (Wagner and Muller, 2009), and i've written out individualized paragraphs about each section.
1. Complementary Strengths - We need people different then us. Consider the dynamics of a pair when the strengths are divided up unevenly. An example a lot of Americans might be familar with is the President/Vice President strengths that make the pair a lot stronger. For instance, in the early 2000s, George W. Bush's 'compassionate conservatism' was complemented by the hawkish attitudes of Dick Cheney and it made for a strong conservative team. The Obama/Biden ticket strengths have Biden characterized as solid reputation and experience, and Obama has the youthfilled, dynamic, change agent persona.
2. A Common Mission - The mission has to be the same. If one of us wants to climb a mountain, and the other wants a straddle up a hill, we got a problem no matter how much the too like each other. The mission does not need to be sought after for the same reason. Again with the mountain climber example - one may climb the mountain as a way of conquering a personal goal, and the other may climb the mountain because they want the bragging rights of accomplishing such a task. The end result has to be agreed up, and more detailled and well communicated it is, the more likely that partnership will be strong.
3. Fairness - I'll go into it in detail with the next post - when partnerships fail, but, fairness is a critical element.
4. Trust - We form partnerships because we can not do it alone, or prefer not too. Trust is the glue that holds the partnership together. Where trust is questioned, there is no trust. Again i'll have more to say in the next post.
5. Acceptance - Indie rock band, the Postal Service said it best "everything is perfect from such great heights". As you work with the partner, and get to know him better, you might see things that are turn offs. Big egos, dependability, sharp-tongued, risk adverse - you name it, you'll see problems. Accepting the person as they are goes a long way in making a partnership more tolerable for both parties.
6. Forgiveness - How much of a breach can be handled, that's hard to say. Only 18% of strong partnerships ever forgo a serious breach of contract. Poor partnerships will see more breaches of trust. Whether or not the pair goes forward is what is most critical.
7. Communicating - One of the best chapters in this book is about communication. I think one of key things here is that communication "builds" collaboration. The more communication there is, and the higher quality it is, the more bridges that pair can cross together. Communicating well is ultimately an act of being vulnerable enough to be open to others and being authentic
8. Unselfishness - Egos will kill it.
Next blog posting - when partnerships unravel.
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